At long last, the man/myth/legend, Amanda's dad, Craig Montell, whose riveting stories of his childhood spent in the Synanon cult planted her fascination with all things "cultish," joins as this week's guest. In this *extremely wholesome* episode, Amanda and her pop analyze a quartet of listener-submitted stories, documenting four firsthand experiences with ... Show More
Apr 21
The Cult of Neurolinguistic Programming
What if the right words could rewire your brain… or at least make you feel like they did? This week, Amanda is joined by journalists and hosts of the podcast Mind Games, Alice Hines (@alicehines_) and Zoë Lescaze (@zoelescaze), to unpack the cult of neurolinguistic programming, t ... Show More
1h 2m
Apr 14
The Cult of Christian Nationalism
What does the Mormon curl, January 6th, and the rapture all have in common? Christian Nationalism! This week Reese and Amanda are joined by Jennie Gage (@LifeTakeTwoJennie) of Life Take Two, to unpack what we (spoiler alert) feel is one of the most insidious cults taking over Ame ... Show More
1h 19m
Sep 2023
cultish, a talk with amanda montell [video]
[video available on spotify] today i present to you, amanda montell: a writer, linguist, and fellow podcast host. amanda has written three books. one of them, the age of magical overthinking, is about to come out. today i want to zoom in on one of our many common interests. she w ... Show More
50m 33s
Oct 2022
Cults: Manipulation Tactics, Celebrity Involvement, Escape w/ Lola Blanc + Meaghan Elizabeth
Joining the Deux U classroom this week are Cult survivors Lola Blanc and Meaghan Elizabeth. On their podcast, Trust Me, they talk to fellow survivors, former and current believers, experts, and everyone in between to try to get to the bottom of how extreme belief happens, who's s ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 2024
The Callous Killing of Sylvia Fleming
This week, in a listener-researched and written episode, we head to Omagh in Northern Ireland, as we take a look at the brutal 1998 murder of 17-year-old Sylvia Fleming. On the cusp of adulthood, and with a difficult childhood now behind her, Sylvia thought she had struck gold wh ... Show More
1h 11m